


The Key

by silverwing33



Series: venom [3]
Category: Marvel, Venom - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Symbiotes - Freeform, friendships, mental health, not a date date, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 21:09:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16354355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverwing33/pseuds/silverwing33
Summary: After being friends for over a year, Jess has something very important to give Eddie, but is it what he wants?





	1. Chapter 1

BLEEP BLEEP! 

Eddie trudged back from his heroic outing as Venom, armed with a big bag of chocolate for the guys. Each of them had their own preference on what sort and what brand they liked. Some like swiss, some hated Belgium and some would only eat dark chocolate that gave chocolate workers a fair and decent wage. And he felt very passionately about that...never mind the chocolate itself cost $5 a bar! 

BLEEP BLEEP! 

His phone vibrated and pinged in his pocket. No one really ever called Eddie, except work and sometimes S.H.I.E.L.D. He rummaged around in the suit until it came to him. Looking at the screen, he saw Jess had called and left him a message. Checking his voicemail he heard: 

“You have one new message. Message. Hey hun, put on your glad rags I’m taking you out tonight for a special dinner! End of messages. Main menu. To listen to your messages a-”

He hung up the phone with a big smile on his face. A special dinner. “Did Jess just ask us out on a date?”, His other asked.   
“I think she did!” Eddie was really happy about this and made a deter towards his apartment. The guys would just have to wait, he needed to make himself look good for his lady.   
They had been friends for a while now, and he was always popping over to hers to hang out and help her with her foster symbiotes. Venom was the happiest there. Jess had acquired a large amount of knowledge about symbiotes and had proved most useful, especially the time where she helped to fix them. From that day on, they were inseparable. His other adored Jess and was continuously plaguing Eddie to go see her. Venom liked how symbiote-friendly she made the house. She made sure the heating was low, the music and tv were tuned to a sound frequency that didn’t cause them pain or distress, and she always had the lighting down low too. Not to mention the endless supply of chocolate and nuts she had. 

Eddie was very fond of Jess too. He had found someone whom he could talk to about stuff and not treat him like he was weird or crazy. He liked her taste in movies and music and would talk at length about them. But most of all he liked how comfortable he was with her. No judgements, no expectations. Just laid back feel good vibes. He noted he was beginning to sound like her too, which made him chuckle. 

And she was always happy to see them and would make such a fuss with affection. She adored them and they knew it. They thrived on it. 

“We got the girl Eddie! She's the one Eddie!” His other whispered excitedly. 

“We’ll see. Only time will tell. But...it looks good!”


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Make or break time!

Later that evening, Jess and Eddie without their symbiotes sat down at their table in a posh fancy restaurant. Jess looked cute in her smart black jeans and pink low cut jumper. Eddie had gone the whole nine yards and worn a shirt and tie. He felt a little overdressed, but Jess didn’t seem to mind. His other’s words came back to him. “She’s the one, Eddie”. 

He was starting to feel it. But it also made him nervous and whenever he gets nervous...he gets stupid. He really didn’t want to be stupid with her. He didn’t want to ruin anything. 

 

“It was a good meal. I liked your choice of dessert by the way.” Jess folded her arms and rested them on the table, leaning forward with an expression of excitement on her face. 

 

Eddie smiled back at her, “Yeah, it was good. I’ve never really been a big fan of fish, but that bass wasn’t that bad. And well, you can’t go wrong with creme brulee.”, he chuckled as he mimicked her body language, leaning forward towards her. Just enough to leave a little gap between them, they giggled with nervous. 

 

“‘Kay, seeing we’re waiting, I’m gonna do this now. Eddie, we have been good friends for just over a year now, and it’s been...amazing. I’ve never really had friends. As a kid, I was a bit of a loner and when I got to my mid-teens I was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. And as soon as people hear that, they freak out and don’t want to be anywhere near me. I think they’re afraid of me having an episode, freaking out and hurting them. Truth is, I’m more likely to hurt myself than anyone else. You’re the first person that hasn’t abandoned me when finding that out. You accept me for who I am and you don’t judge. You’re my best friend. I know I don’t have any others to compare you to, but you’re still the best. Which is why… I want to give you this…” Reaching into her bag, she pulls out a key tied with a small red bow of ribbon. 

“This is for you. It’s the key to my apartment. No one else has one. I’ve never known anyone besides my brother that I could trust with one. I trust you. It means that any time you come over, you can let yourself in without having to use the buzzer, which you know drives the guys crazy!” She chuckles. 

 

Her foster symbiotes hate the buzzer with a passion and are always trying to break it, to stop the noise. She’s tried to get the super to change it, but the landlord wouldn’t allow it. She tried to explain this to her guys, but it’s still met with a chorus of how noisy it is, how they don't like it, etc. So hopefully with Eddie having a key, they will complain less about it, as most of the time when the buzzer goes it’s either the postman or Eddie. The guys mind less when it’s venom because he always brings some goodies for them. Also, they like sharing knowledge and experiences amongst themselves. 

 

Their ability and choice to create their own hive mind helped save them from the symbiote god who invaded earth and enslaved all the earthbound symbiotes far and wide. But being separate from that hive mind meant they escaped all that and were able to hide from him. In doing so, they were able to make it less powerful than he could’ve been, which helped in his ultimate demise. 

When venom was brought to them broken, they took him into their hive and fixed him. In doing so, he became a part of them, of their family of misfits. They welcomed and accepted him into the fold and he finally found a hive he felt a part of, and not like some outcast. So going to Jess’s wasn’t just to see her, but also to see the guys and hang out. 

Eddie took the key into his hand and looked down at it. This wasn’t quite what he thought this dinner was about. He was her best friend, but he was hoping that she wanted him to be her boyfriend. He wasn’t quite sure how to feel, because on one hand it was nice to have a friend and he really liked Jess. But on the other, he wanted more with her. The love and bond he had with his symbiote was of great importance and he wouldn’t part with it for the world, but it was different to the love and bond he could have with another human, and upon meeting Jess he realised how much he missed having that. The only woman he had ever been with and had ever loved couldn’t accept Venom and loathed them entirely. Her experience being She-Venom had caused her an emotional breakdown to the point that the sight of Spiderman in his black costume caused her to commit suicide. But here was a woman who not only accepted Venom but embraced them and the life of symbiotes. Venom was right, Jess was the one. The problem was, he wasn’t sure that she felt the same about him. 

 

I trust you. 

 

Those three words echoed back to him as he stared at the key. 

 

“Everything okay? Is this okay? If you’re not comfortable with this I can always take it back.” Jess shifted in her seat. She had been sure this was the right thing, but now she was starting to doubt it. He didn’t look happy...he just...looked….disappointed. What did he expect, a rock?! 

 

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s good, thanks…” His eyebrows furrowed together as he continued to stare down at the key in his hand. I trust you. “I just thought that maybe...this was a date. That you wanted to date me.” He glanced up at her and saw the expression of surprise on her face. 

 

“Oh…” She said. “Oh...i see. I..i don’t have a real good track record with men, Eddie. I’m sorry. I just...i don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to ruin...this” She gestured between them using her hand to indicate the bond between them. This was very awkward. “Every guy I’ve been with has...hurt me...in some way. And it makes things harder for me. It’s made me sick in the past, and I don’t want that again. So I’ve stopped. I don’t want that anymore.” She looks down at her folded arms which had tightened against her chest. She didn’t dare to look up. She felt her heart clench as she dreaded what was likely to come next. As soon as men learn that she’s not interested in sex or a relationship, they ditch her and go find themselves someone else. Why was he going to be any different. She hated it. Hated that her friendship was seen as worthless in comparison to a relationship. Her anxiety turned to anger the longer the silence between them grew. A bitter taste rose in the back of her throat. 

 

Without looking, she got up sharply and walked out, leaving her bag and coat behind. 

She didn’t hear him speak. She didn’t hear him follow her, calling her name. She didn’t hear him until he caught up with her and reached out for her shoulder. Spinning around to face him, he saw the hot tears brimming at her eyelids. “Why is my friendship never good enough for anyone?! Why can’t we just be friends?! Why is that so hard?!” She sobbed. 

 

“I love being your friend. It’s true I want more, but I’m happy with just having you in my life in whatever context. I’m sorry men have hurt you, I’m not going to do that. I just want a chance to show you that, okay?” He gathered her in his arms and held her tightly. Aw crap, he thought. 

 

**I’m in love.**

 


End file.
